The State Final Examination in the study programme Conflict and Democracy Studies consists of the defence of a Master’s thesis.

Purpose of the defence

The purpose of the defence is to demonstrate that the graduate has independently and professionally managed the chosen research problem, is able to justify the theoretical and methodological foundations of the thesis, critically reflect on the results achieved, and place them within the broader context of the discipline of political science.

Course of the defence

Presentation of the Master’s thesis:

In the introductory part, lasting a maximum of 10 minutes, the candidate presents their Master’s thesis. The presentation should focus in particular on the definition of the research problem, including justification of its theoretical and/or societal relevance, a brief introduction of the theoretical framework, a description of the methods of data collection and analysis used, and a summary of the main empirical or theoretical findings.
If AI tools were used in any form in the preparation of any part of the thesis, this fact must be transparently declared during the defence (i.e. the candidate must describe which tools were used and how). In this part, the candidate may use a visual presentation (e.g. PowerPoint or an equivalent format).

Introduction of the reviews:

After the presentation, the reviews by the thesis supervisor and the opponent are presented. These assess the quality of the thesis in terms of academic level, fulfilment of research objectives, methodological rigor, and contribution to the field.

Candidate’s response:

The candidate is then given the opportunity to respond to the comments, questions, or recommendations raised in the reviews and to clarify any potential ambiguities.

Discussion:

This is followed by an expert discussion of the thesis, in which all present members of the examination committee may participate. The discussion may address theoretical, methodological, and empirical aspects of the thesis, its conclusions, and its contribution to the field of political science.
The total duration of the defence is approximately 45 minutes.

Evaluation of the defence

The examination committee evaluates the defence as a whole, taking into account the content and quality of the submitted thesis, the quality of the presentation, and the candidate’s ability to respond to comments and engage in scholarly discussion. The grading proposals contained in the supervisor’s and opponent’s reviews are not binding; the committee decides on the final result of the defence on the basis of its own assessment.

The final evaluation is expressed on the following scale:

• passed with excellent results,
• passed,
• failed.